Collection #
M0756
ELIZABETH M. ENIX
PAPERS, 1905–1994 (BULK 1990–1994)
Collection Information
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Collection Contents
Cataloging Information
Processed by
Wilma L. Gibbs
12 June 2001
Revised 3 July 2002
Updated 18 March 2004
Manuscripts and Archives Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
www.indianahistory.org
COLLECTION INFORMATION
VOLUME OF
COLLECTION:
1 manuscript box
COLLECTION
DATES:
1905–1994 (bulk 1990–1994)
PROVENANCE:
Jane Elizabeth Enix, 5354 W. 62nd St., Apt. 115-B, Indianapolis,
IN 46268-2427
RESTRICTIONS:
None
COPYRIGHT:
REPRODUCTION
RIGHTS:
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection
must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society.
ALTERNATE
FORMATS:
RELATED
HOLDINGS:
None
ACCESSION
NUMBER:
1998.0383
NOTES:
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Jane "Elizabeth" Martin Enix (25 November 1906–18 January 1999) was born in Indianapolis, the daughter of James I.
(1879–1957) and Francis Baird Martin (1882–1917). Her only sibling was James "Jimmie" Dandridge Martin (1912–
1992).
Elizabeth Martin married Howard Enix. At the time of his death in 1989, they were married for 47 years. They reared
two daughters, Sharon Hines and Margaret Dunlop. They adopted Hines when she was four years old.
Enix was educated at the local Indianapolis Public Schools, graduating from Shortridge High School in 1923. She
received a bachelor degree from Butler College (later university) in 1927. She completed her masters degree at Butler
also. She did graduate work at Indiana University, the University of Michigan, Purdue University, Atlanta University,
and the Christian Theological Seminary. A school teacher for four decades, she taught in Mississippi, Texas, Georgia,
and Indiana. Enix retired in 1971, after teaching at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis for 34 years.
Enix was a member of Light of the World Christian Church. The first female president of the church board; she also
served as deaconess and elder emeritus. From 1972 to 1975, she was an associate regional minister with the Disciples
of Christ denomination. She participated in the national convocation, serving as vice president.
Active in several organizations, Enix was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the ladies auxiliary of the
Edward S. Gaillard American Legion Post, Eastern Star, Woman’s Improvement Club, and the National Interfaith
Coalition on Aging. She was also a life member of the National Council of Negro Women.
Elizabeth and Howard Enix are buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Section 98, Lot 1503, in Indianapolis.
SOURCES: Materials in the collection; "Jane E. Enix had been a teacher and a leader in Disciples of Christ Church
(obituary)," Indianapolis Star, 22 January 1999; E-mail from Sue Buckner, Crown Hill Cemetery, to Wilma Gibbs, 4
June 2001.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection, contained in 1 manuscript box, includes correspondence, memoirs, programs, and a few family
photographs. Enix spent most of her life in Indianapolis. In an autobiographical work, "The Life and Times of
Elizabeth M. Enix" (folder 2), she recounts many of her family, educational, and social experiences. More
specifically, she recalls several local buildings including Tomlinson Hall, William H. Block Company, and Lauries.
She remembers living in the city during the early 1900s. Enix describes varied events including the birth of her
brother Jimmie in 1912, the 1913 flood in Indianapolis, and the passing of her mother in 1917. Folders 3-9 include
manuscript drafts of her memoirs. Much of the information is not contained in her autobiographical work. Notes from
a memoirs class that she took at Robin Run Village, an Indianapolis senior retirement facility where Enix resided at
the time of her death, are in folder 10. As a class project, Denise Waas, a local college student, interviewed Elizabeth
Enix in 1995. Notes from the interview are in folder 11.
There is a 1905 announcement for the wedding of James and Frances Baird Martin, Enix’s parents, in folder 12. Her
father, along with his brothers, Samuel and Jesse, owned the Martin Brothers' clothing store located on Indiana
Avenue. The store manufactured and sold duck clothing, khaki and novelty uniforms and garments, and ladies and
gentlemen furnishings. An informational booklet about the store that incorporated in 1922 and closed in 1957 is in
folder 13.
Folders 15 and 16 relate to individuals at Robin Run Village. The "Ballads of the Bards" reference writings of a
resident poetry group. Elizabeth W. Kelly taught a memoirs class that enrolled Elizabeth Enix. "A Thanksgiving
Story," written by Kelly, relays some of her childhood memories.
COLLECTION CONTENTS
CONTENTS
CONTAINER
Correspondence
Box 1, Folder 1
"The Life and Times of Elizabeth Enix"
Box 1, Folder 2
Memoirs--Family History
Box 1, Folder 3
Memoirs--Howard Thurman
Box 1, Folder 4
Memoirs--Growing up
Box 1, Folder 5
Memoirs--Indiana Avenue
Box 1, Folder 6
Memoirs--Robin Run Village
Box 1, Folder 7
Memoirs--Walker Building
Box 1, Folder 8
Memoirs--Woman's Improvement Club
Box 1, Folder 9
Memoirs Class
Box 1, Folder 10
Geriatric Interview of Elizabeth Enix, 21 November 1995,
conducted by Denise Waas
Box 1, Folder 11
Wedding announcements, 1905, 1990
Box 1, Folder 12
Martin Brothers Company
Box 1, Folder 13
Programs
Box 1, Folder 14
"Ballads of the Bards" (Robin Run Village poetry group)
Box 1, Folder 15
"A Thanksgiving Story," by Elizabeth W. Kelly (Memoirs
instructor)
Box 1, Folder 16
Family Photographs
Box 1, Folder 17
Visual Collections:
manuscript photographs
(color)
CATALOGING INFORMATION
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0756).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for
related materials.